Novig pricesMaryland's bowl hopes face a Wisconsin team led by a freshman QB
Maryland hosts bowl-eligible Wisconsin at noon Saturday on FS1. Badgers freshman QB Ryan Hopkins stays the starter and Wisconsin is favored by 9.5 on Novig.
Maryland comes back to SECU Stadium on Saturday at 3-6, and its slim bowl hopes leave no room for another loss. The opponent is Wisconsin, which is already bowl eligible and is turning its offense over to a true freshman. Kickoff is at noon ET on FS1.
The Badgers are sticking with Ryan Hopkins at quarterback after his first career start, ESPN reported. Against Rutgers he completed 18 of 24 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-10 win. Colton Joseph, the Old Dominion transfer who started the first nine games, had not reached 100 passing yards in any of his previous three. Luke Fickell said Joseph still has a place in the plan for this week. "We've got two guys that know an offense and can run an offense," the coach told ESPN.
The switch rescued a passing game that had stalled. Wisconsin scored seven points in road losses at UCLA and Iowa combined. Testudo Times' preview on SB Nation notes that Wisconsin was the last team Maryland beat before a long losing streak. That streak spanned two seasons, and Mike Locksley left the program during it. The Terps finally ended it at Purdue last week. Testudo Times also notes that Hopkins was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week and that Fickell's seat has cooled since Wisconsin went 4-8 in 2025.
What it means for Saturday
The season lines favor the visitors. Wisconsin is 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten. It allows 16.3 points per game, and only Notre Dame has scored more than 20 against it. Maryland allows 31.3 points per game and has given up at least 29 in six of its nine games. The Terps score 27.7 per game, but that average includes a 62-0 win over Hampton. In five Big Ten losses they averaged 18.8 points.
Maryland has its own reasons for hope. Its home Big Ten games have been close lately: it lost by seven to Rutgers and by three to Illinois. Its 34-29 win at Purdue came on just 45 offensive plays, so the Terps will need longer drives to keep their defense fresh. Wisconsin's road form is uneven. It beat Penn State in State College but has scored 7 points in its other two Big Ten road games. Testudo Times points to the Badgers' pass defense as the problem for Maryland, at 185 passing yards allowed per game. It sees Wisconsin's thin running game, outside of Joseph, as the opening.
On this site's board, Wisconsin is favored across 12 venues. Novig has the Badgers at -308 on the moneyline and Maryland at +285. Novig's spread is Wisconsin -9.5 at +102. The best Wisconsin spread price anywhere is a shorter line, -7.5 at -122 on BetRivers, so the venues differ by two points. Sportsbook hold on the spread runs from 3.4% to 7.0%. Novig lists the total at 41.5, with the over at -108 and the under at even money. FanDuel has the best under at 42.5 for -110.
As a 9.5-point favorite, Wisconsin is expected to win comfortably. Maryland needs a road team that has struggled to score away from home to keep struggling.